Manually retractably curb feeler

ABSTRACT

The intent of my invention is to provide a manually retractable curb feeler device that can be manually extended by merely firmly grasping the feeler shaft tip and pulling it all the way outsimilarly to retract it by merely firmly grasping the flexible feeler shaft near its mounting body and pushing it into the body. It further is my intent to provide for the accomplishment of this without undo force and yet have the flexible feeler shaft secure in either position without the use of any adjusting screws or nuts. It also is my intent to have this all accomplished within a single mounting body which will be directly mountable to the auto body or fender and contain within that same mounting body means for containing the flexible feeler while also insuring its retracted or extended position. By the configuration my retractable curb feeler device is intended to be the most economical means to provide for retracting the feelers for the auto to pass thru automatic car wash equipment without bending or damaging the feeler shaft, discourage mischievous children from deliberately bending the feeler shaft out of shape and also allow the feelers to be recessed for areas and extensive periods of non use. This is all accomplished via a single mounting body having bores such that two split bushings contained therein may alternately hug a retainer bushing for the extended position and hug the feeler tip reduced diameter in the retracted position. To change from either position a force enough to expand the applicable bushing in required as will be thoroughly described herein.

lFllllllllt MANUALLY RETRACTABLE CURB FlElElLER [72] Inventor: Bernard Fink, l9760 Via Escuela Drive,

Saratoga, Calif.

[22] Filed: Mar. 12, 1969 [21] Appl. No.: 806,504

Primary Examiner-Louis Capozi [57] ABSTRACT The intent of my invention is to provide a manually retractable '6 "lnpplllpl lzgltlla curb feeler device that can be manually extended by merely firmly grasping the feeler shaft tip and pulling it all the way out-similarly to retract it by merely firmly grasping the flexible feeler shaft near its mounting body and pushing it into the body. It further is my intent to provide for the accomplishment of this without undo force and yet have the flexible feeler shaft secure in either position without the use of any adjusting screws or nuts. It also is my intent to have this all accomplished within a single mounting body which will be directly mountable to the auto body or fender and contain within that same mounting body means for containing the flexible feeler while also insuring its retracted or extended position. By the configuration my retractable curb feeler device is intended to be the most economical means to provide for retracting the feelers for the auto to pass thru automatic car wash equipment without bending or damaging the feeler shaft, discourage mischievous children from deliberately bending the feeler shaft out of shape and also allow the feelers to be recessed for areas and extensive periods of non use. This is all accomplished via a single mounting body having bores such that two split bushings contained therein may alternately hug a retainer bushing for the extended position and hug the feeler tip reduced diameter in the retracted position. To change from either position a force enough to expand the applicable bushing in required as will be thoroughly described herein.

4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures I INVENTOR.

13mm aw. BY

Amrhey MANUALLY RETRACTABLY CURB FEELER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The widely used conventional curb feelers embody a spring wire or helical coil fixed in an extended curb-contacting position. Such feelers can become damaged or deformed in passing through automatic car-washing equipment or by the actions of mischievous children deliberately bending the feeler shafts. A power operated feeler retracting and extending mechanism is disclosed in Maloney U.S. Pat. No. 3,440,605. A manually adjustable feeler which utilizes a screw clamp for fixing it in an adjusted position is disclosed in Aves U.S. Pat. No. 2,731,935. A set screw positioning adjustment for a curb feeler is disclosed in Ihlein U.S. Pat. No. 2,561,865.

These and other objects will become apparent in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view partially in section and par tially in elevation, showing the device with the feeler in the curb contacting position;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary axial sectional view of the device with the feeler in retracted, inoperative position; and

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION Referring now to the drawing in detail, I have shown therein, as an example of one form in which the invention can be embodied, a curb feeler comprising, in general, a mounting body 5 adapted to be mounted in a car body member 6 (e.g. fender) and a feeler shaft 7 axially slidable in a guide bore 8 in body 5 and having an outer end provided with a curb contacting tip 9. Bore 8 is formed in an intermediate tubular guide portion 10 of body 5, which is extended through a hole in car body member 6. Mounting body 5 further includes, at an outer end, a head 11 having an oblique shoulder 12 to seat against car body member 6 so as to dispose the feeler on an inclined axis such that it will reach downwardly and outwardly to meet a curb when in its extended position. Guide portion 10 of mounting body 5 is externally threaded so that a securing nut 13 may be threaded thereon and be tightened against a wedge shaped washer 14 to clamp the car body member 6 securely between washer 14 and oblique shoulder 12, thus securing the mounting body 5 rigidly to the member 6 on an inclined axis.

At its inner end, mounting body 5 is formed with a tubular extension 15 having a retainer bore 16 and a counterbore 17 between respective end portions ofbore 16. Similarly, head 11 has a retainer bore 18 interrupted by a counterbore 19. Two elastic retainer bushings 20, 21 of split collar form are captured within counterbores 19 and 17 of head 11 and inner end extension 15 respectively. Bushings 20, 21 have their walls each severed at one side by a cut (FIG. 3) parallel to their axis to provide respective gaps 22 allowing them to expand or contract within their counterbores 17, 19 (in which they are received with radial clearance) as required. Secured to the inner end of feeler shaft 7 is an inner retainer knob 23. Adjacent feeler tip 9 is an outer retainer knob 24 which is preferably formed integrally with tip 9 and joined thereto by a neck 25 of reduced diameter. Retainer knobs 23, 24 are of somewhat larger diameter than the normal internal diameters of retainer bushings 20, 21 and are provided with chamfered ends such that they can enter and pass their respective retainer bushings in response to a manual push or pull on shaft 7, expanding the bushings sufficiently to pass through them. Bushings 20, 21 are adapted to contract into obstructing relation to the knobs 23, 24 after being pierced by them to prevent return movements of the feeler shaft 7 from positions to which it has been adjusted. Retainer knob 23 can be attached to shaft 7 by threading to facilitate assembly and/or shaft replacement. Tip 9 can be a pressfit on shaft 7.

FIG. 1 shows the feeler shaft 7 extended to operative curb feeling position in which it is held by engagement of retainer knob 23 against the end of retainer bushing 20 in its contracted state. To retract the feeler shaft 7 from this extended position, a firm inward pressure is applied to it by grasping it close to mounting body 5 to avoid buckling it. The pressure of knob 23 against split bushing 20 will force it to expand, allowing knob 23 to pass; then the feeler shaft 7 can slide freely in guide bore 8 until the outer knob 24 enters the mouth of retainer bore 18 and reaches the outer split bushing 21, whereupon by application of pressure to tip 9, knob 24 will expand and pass through bushing 21 into the inner retainer section of bore 18 where the bushing contracts around reduced neck 25, engaging the knob 24 to securely hold the feeler in the retracted position shown in FIG. 2.

To extend the feeler from this retracted position to the extended position shown in FIG. 1, a pull is applied to feeler tip 9, the knob 24 is pulled through its retainer bushing 21, the shaft 8 will then freely slide in the bearing bore 8 until knob 23 enters bore 16 and engages inner retainer bushing 20, through which it will pass upon increasing the pull on rod 8, and will lodge in the inner section of retainer bore 16, with its free end abutting the inner end of contracted retainer bushing 20 (FIG. 1) to hold the feeler in the extended position Note should be taken of the importance of the diameter of counterbores 17, 19 which is such as to contain the bushings 20, 21 with sufficient radial clearance around the contracted bushings to accommodate the expansion of the bushings, and yet is not so large as to allow such eccentricity of the bushings 20, 21 during traverse of the feeler shaft 7 as would prevent the chamfers on the ends of knobs 23, 24 from recentering in and freely entering the bushings.

The diameter of retainer bores 16 and 18 at the respective ends of mounting body 5 likewise must be held within a range such as to be large enough so that split bushings 20, 21 can be contracted sufficiently to pass through the mouths of these bores during installation, and yet small enough so that the split bushings 20, 21 in their normal relaxed state will be of larger diameter than bores 16, 18 so as to be securely retained against escape from their enclosing counterbores 17, 19 during extension and retraction of the feeler. Correspondingly, the gaps 22 must be wide enough to accommodate contraction of the bushings from their normal relaxed diameter to a diameter small enough for installation through bores 16, 18. The expansion demanded of the bushings 20, 21 should be minimal to be well within the elastic limit of their material and to permit ease of passage of knobs 23, 24 during extension and retraction and yet provide for secure holding of the feeler shaft in extended and retracted position.

I claim:

1. A manually retractable curb feeler device comprising:

a mounting body attachable to a vehicle body member, said mounting body including an intermediate tubular guide portion having a bore and respective end portions having respective counterbores coaxial with said bore;

a feeler shaft axially slidable in said bore, said shaft having respective retainer bosses at its respective ends;

and elastic retainer bushings of split collar form captive in said counterbores and engageable with the respective retainer bosses to yieldingly hold said shaft in extended and retracted positions respectively, said bushings having internal diameters normally smaller than the diameters of the respective retainer knobs so as to effect said yielding holding engagement and being expandable in response to axial pressure from the respective heads to allow passage of the bosses through the bushings in one direction for retraction of the shaft, and through the bushings in the other direction for extension of the shaft.

2. A feeler device as defined in claim 1:

said mounting body having retainer bores of a diameter intermediate said guide bore and said counterbores, disposed between and communicating with the respective ends of said guide bore and the respective counterbores,

ing against a substantially vertical vehicle body wall having an aperture through which said tubular guide portion is adapted to extend;

and fastener means engaging said guide portion and operative to apply pressure to said body wall on a side thereof opposite said shoulder, to clamp the latter securely against said body wall, whereby to position said feeler on a downwardly and outwardly inclined axis. 

1. A manually retractable curb feeler device comprising: a mounting body attachable to a vehicle body member, said mounting body including an intermediate tubular guide portion having a bore and respective end portions having respective counterbores coaxial with said bore; a feeler shaft axially slidable in said bore, said shaft having respective retainer bosses at its respective ends; and elastic retainer bushings of split collar form captive in said counterbores and engageable with the respective retainer bosses to yieldingly hold said shaft in extended and retracted positions respectively, said bushings having internal diameters normally smaller than the diameters of the respective retainer knobs so as to effect said yielding holding engagement and being expandable in response to axial pressure from the respective heads to allow passage of the bosses through the bushings in one direction for retraction of the shaft, and through the bushings in the other direction for extension of the shaft.
 2. A feeler device as defined in claim 1: said mounting body having retainer bores of a diameter intermediate said guide bore and said counterbores, disposed between and communicating with the respective ends of said guide bore and the respective counterbores, said bosses being receivable and retained in the respective retainer bores by the respective bushings upon passing therethrough. 3 A curb feeler device as defined in claim 1: said shaft having on an outer end a curb contacting tip adjacent the boss at that end of the shaft and joined thereto by a neck of smaller diameter than said adjacent boss.
 4. A curb feeler device as defined in claim 1: said mounting body having an outer end consisting of an enlarged head having a shoulder, oblique to its axis, for seating against a substantially vertical vehicle body wall having an aperture through which said tubular guide portion is adapted to extend; and fastener means engaging said guide portion and operative to apply pressure to said body wall on a side thereof opposite said shoulder, to clamp the latter securely against said body wall, whereby to position said feeler on a downwardly and outwardly inclined axis. 